lol. The English have made some half-hearted attempts in the past, actually conquered us once in the past. It took a single man (Jörundur hundadagakonungur) who just showed up and told us we were now part of the English Empire after some shrugging on behalf of Icelanders, who threw parties for a few weeks, the English crown ordered him to get the hell home and leave Iceland to the Danish.
But seriously, think about what will happen if/when the shipping routes open up through the north pole. China might want a shipping base in the north Atlantic and if they can't buy us up (we just said no to a huge deal by a 'former' member of the communist party who wanted to buy up large amounts of land in our northern territories for building a resort that had no way of ever turning a profit.) they might consider other methods... I know I sound paranoid but the Chinese have a history of buying cheap property with a set of proclaimed goals that sound great, but have little to no chances of succeeding, and then 'suddenly' getting a better idea for something that turns a huge profit and is conveniently helpful to the party (a dry-dock or supply base f.ex.).
Since he's blind (although we're never discussed exactly how blind he is - are we doing the 30ft. thing?), a longbow isn't going to be of much use. And he currently lacks a 24 strength with no way to attain that.
Okay, so 6000 gold. Here's the shopping list.
Leather Armour +1 (If you guys have his original set, he'll take that)
A weapon (Greatsword, if you please)
Wasn't there a ring? I seem to recall a snatch of dialogue that Nikolai said someone was wearing his birthright. Or am I just dreaming? But that could be a Ring of Protection +1.
EDIT: One idea I had for gear backstory is that Nikolai leads them to a stash he had hidden away on their way to face the trolls. It could also prove to give plots reasons for the new gear that Jemini gains. Just a thought.
The ring was a child sized signet ring bearing the insignia of house Rogarvia.
Ah! That's what it was. Well it could be that he puts it on a chain around his neck, and it functions as a Amulet of Natural Armor +1.
EDIT #1: Who has the ring at present?
EDIT #2: This is how he looks in my head.
Well I think the last stated post on it was that it was shown to Lord Lebeda by Berrin during a gala that was held in Sanctuary - I would think there's some poetic license available that the ring stayed in a secure stash and can be retrieved for him. That's a neat idea in how it could be used as an amulet - makes sense that he didn't use it that way before since he had the 'other' amulet.
I'd say the vote is that the Leather Armor +1 is there for Nikolai if he wants it, and the Longbow goes up in the Great Hall near the Newhaven Banner :)
EDIT: Hehe yeah your pic there with some armor and the Stag Helm is pretty much how I envisioned him while he was tearing up the party at the Battle of Stagfall...
Yeah exactly Barcas -- Berrin's suggestion that Corwin really shouldn't own the Amulet since he's a full NPC means Jemini gets the Amulet (Natural Armor +2). If everyone is fine with Verik being in possession of the Rogarvia Signet Ring during this past year, I'll RP the giving of it to Nikolai here in the first part of the journey along with a few things for the others. Should I pick up on the fact that there would be a slight magical abjuration dweomer on it then?
Okay, so I'm going to run with the idea that Nikolai has a hidden stash of goodies located on their way. Perhaps some consumable items (like the odd potion), along with his 'backup' +1 Greatsword, a +1 Ring of Protection, and some mundane gear (backpack, bedroll, rope, etc). Sound good?
Nikolai's sheet already lists the magical gear, but perhaps we should assume that the gang have equipped him with their old mundane items (bow and greatsword, in particular)?
For descriptive purposes, Nikolai is riding a massive Destrier - since not many horses can carry a six-foot-seven man. I'll wait for Jemini to post before leaping in with Nikolai, but he's pretty close to her. He's currently unarmed/armored at the moment (since I'm assuming we can avoid combat until we reach his stash. All his gear (mundane and magical) is hidden away in his stash. Jemini, if you want, Nikolas could give you a new item or two that you've chosen after the wealth boost from that hidden stash. But only if you want.
DMB: Do you want me to just make up how far away it is/how its hidden?
It can be two hexes southeast.
They should still have his horse that he rode into battle, unless they sold it or turned it into glue or something.
Nikolai has no idea that he can cast spells at this point. Should be interesting as he discovers his abilities. (Also, as hr comes to grip with their source: Coral's cruel experiments.)
For descriptive purposes, Nikolai is riding a massive Destrier - since not many horses can carry a six-foot-seven man. I'll wait for Jemini to post before leaping in with Nikolai, but he's pretty close to her. He's currently unarmed/armored at the moment (since I'm assuming we can avoid combat until we reach his stash.
IC it man, IC... If you want to wait on Jemini's lead just post a description and some internal dialogue or something..
PS; Welcome aboard PS ;)
*Scratches his chin in a puzzled manner, hesitates before asking* "Dot?"
Ahh yes the literary power of the '.' has been used throughout the great works of the ages - Melville, Dostoevsky, Dickens. I got all emotional in interpreting the '.' from Taisper late last night...
:)
Someone will have to fill me in on the etiquette of dotting a new thread when it comes out, other than to refresh it hehe. I'm hoping the '.' doesn't mean he had a whole creative response and hit the backspace key or something like that when he submitted it.
LOL! Sorry for the confusion. I was just dotting the thread. Literally.
Berrin is right, though; posting as Taisper tends to take a lot out of me, not just due to trying to accurately portray a mental illness I don't have any firsthand understanding of, but also due to trying desperately to keep from veering into batman territory, you know what I mean? I loathe posts that are all like "I sit in the dark and brood darkly on my dark tortured soul in the dark. I look out at the people, in the dark, who can't understand my darkness. Darkly." Hate that crap. So I try to make sure I keep an eye on TS's motivations so I can keep my portrayals true to him while simultaneously avoiding falling into those particularly odious gamer stereotypes.
Still waiting for Zander and Jemini to get their initial impressions in. Then we can get a-movin'!
TS is an amazing, twisted character to watch unfold. DRA should get major props for playing a character who is so messed up and straddling that line between "well-meaning extremist" and "functional psychopath".
All the characters are well-written and well-developed. I reiterate my stance that this is the best PBP on the boards, with the best characters and the best writing. It's always a joy to be part of it. I've re-read the battle between TSL and the party literally dozens of times, and I never fail to be utterly impressed by the quality of collaborative work. So here's to you all, and may Chapter 2 be even better.
"I sit in the dark and brood darkly on my dark tortured soul in the dark. I look out at the people, in the dark, who can't understand my darkness. Darkly."
"Wherever there are masks, wherever there's tomfoolery and joy, I'm there. But sometimes I'm not cause I'm out in the night, staying vigilant. Watching. Lurking. Running. Jumping. Hurtling. Sleeping. No, I can't sleep. You sleep. I'm awake. I don't sleep. I don't blink. Am I bird? No. I'm a bat.
I am Batman."
Community. How I love that show!
But seriously, Sociopathy is a pretty difficult condition to display with tact and without falling into an 'archetype'. Taisper does fulfill the Batman archetype due to being a damaged character.
To be honest, I looked at the previous five-man setup through this filter.
Jemini is "The Hero".
Taisper is "The Lancer".
Berrin is, without a doubt, "The Big Guy".
I'd say Zander is "The Smart Guy".
Which leaves Verik to be "The Chick".
Having not read the entire thread, there's a chance that Verik and Zander could swap places, mainly because I've seen Verik played for more humor than Zander (which is the traditional role of the Smart Guy).
Thanks to Nikolai's previous status as "The Dragon" and his subsequent Heel Face Turn, he now exemplifies "The Sixth Ranger".
I'd like to play my missus for introducing me to this particular website. It has ruined fiction for me!*
So there you have it, the gang as written by speculative fiction for centuries.
All Tropeishness aside, the story you guys have developed together leaves me in awe, and I can't wait to see how it pans out.
*Not really, I just wanted to make a big statement.
Question on the Medium Light Infantry Army we're raising. Will the hp of this army be 10, or is it 5 because it is a recruit army? I was looking at the rules today and just trying to figure out the stats. Also, it looks to me that even though we have a stables in Olegsgrav, we would need a Tannery there in order to build a second army of light cavalry - in other words the necessary buildings need to be in the same city correct?
A side note, if I understand it correctly, the following items fall to Jemini:
1. Cloak of resistance +1 (crafted by Verik)
2. Headband of Alluring Charisma +2 (crafted by Verik)
3. Amulet of Natural Armor +2 (Stagfall loot)
If she really gets all that, then I think I'll have her donate her remaining earnings (about 2500gp) to a suitable cause.